On November 4, The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) revealed the preview of the 6th episode of the series. The episode is titled “The Garden Party” and it will air on November 11.
The garden party is a grand and glorious event of the palace. The emperor, the four high-ranking concubines, members of the royal family, and dignitaries all gather in one place to enjoy all matters of food and entertainment. It is also a place for quarrels between the concubines’ maids-in-waiting. As a food taster, Maomao takes each dish into her mouth for poison. However, she soon became suspicious of Concubine Lishu’s expression when she was tense in front of the dish given to her.
The Apothecary Diaries is a light novel series written by Natsu Hyuga and illustrated by Toko Shino. It inspired a manga adaptation, with art by Nekokurage. The light novel series is serialized by Shufunotomo while the manga is published by Square Enix and is serialized in Monthly Big GanGan.
The series has also inspired a short mini-series called Maomao’s Diaries (Mamao no Hitorigoto) which can be seen on Toho Animation’s official YouTube channel. The mini-series features the main character, Maomao, as she explains the key items shown during the current episode.
The light novel series is licensed and published digitally by J-Novel Club. Square Enix has the license and is publishing the English version of the manga adaptation and will start releasing the physical version of the light novel in May 2024. J-Novel Club described the series as:
In the East is a land ruled by an Emperor, where his consorts and serving women live in a spiraling complex known as the hougong, the rear palace. Maomao, an unassuming girl raised in an unassuming town by her apothecary father, never imagined that the rear palace had anything to with her – until she was kidnapped and sold into service there. Though she looks ordinary, Maomao has a quick wit, a sharp mind, and an extensive knowledge of medicine. That’s her secret until she encounters a resident of the palace: the head eunuch, Jinshi, He sees through Maomao’s façade and makes her a lady-in-waiting to one of the Emperor’s favorite consort…as her food taster for poison! At her lady’s side, Maomao starts to learn about everything that goes on in the rear palace and not all of it is seemly. Can she lead a quiet life, or will her powers of deduction and insatiable curiosity bring her even more adventures and danger?
Crunchyroll has previously announced the English cast for The Apothecary Diaries dub, which premiered on November 4. Just like the Japanese primer, the English dub has also debuted with three episodes. Crunchyroll is streaming The Apothecary Diaries in both English subtitles and English dub.
Source: Official Website
©Hyuganatsu/Imagica Infos/”The Apothecary Diaries” Project